MCA leaders today took the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat government to task for not speaking up against the last night's raid of a church in Damansara Utama.

NONE Singling out Pakatan component party PAS, MCA president Chua Soi Lek ( right ) said that the incident is a reminder to non-Muslims that "PAS is not as liberal as it claims to be".

"Certainly the department which comes under the charge of PAS exco member Hasan Ali has a lot of explanation to do.

"He should apologise for the department's encroachment into the church premises and poor handling of the situation," he said.

Chua, whose party often accuses PAS of extremism, said added that the Islamic party is "always ready to impose its religious will on others".

Echoing him, MCA vice president Gan Ping Sieu said that the raid only "brings to fore (Pakatan's) narrow-mindedness and parochial inclinations".

gan ping sieu on sport betting 250610 02 "Allowing this to take place during the holy month of Ramadan makes it all the more shameful," he added.

Going beyond PAS, Gan ( left ) also took Selangor MB and PKR leader Khalid Ibrahim and Selangor DAP chairperson and state exco Teresa Kok to task for keeping mum on the issue until now.

"Khalid's deafening silence on this matter makes the hypocrisy of his administration more apparent.

"Senior exco members like Kok, who is also a Christian, should also come forward to explain whether the rights of non-Muslims in the state are safeguarded," he said.

Extremism creeping into Selangor government

Rehashing previous "controversies", Gan pointed out that the Selangor government has "allowed extremism to creep into the administration".

generation 709 220711 khalid samad Among them, he said, were the protest against the MTV World Stage concert headed by PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad ( left ) and the ban on the sale of beer in Muslim-majority areas.

"These, plus many other examples, such as the recent proposal to close all entertainment outlets in Kedah outlets during Ramadhan has raised pertinent questions (like) whether the rights of the minority in this country will be sacrificed if Pakatan comes into power," he said.

Meanwhile, the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) in a statement today said that the raid "sets a dangerous precedent" and caused "undue trauma" to the multiracial guests at the 1Malaysia dinner.

"The CCM calls for an immediate investigation into the raid and for an explanation as to the powers under which the enforcement authorities based their action.

"The CCM further seeks an assurance that such conduct will not be repeated by any enforcement authorities, whether Jais or the police, in a religious compound," said its general secretary Reverend Herman Shastri.

‘Check legality of raid’

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) meanwhile questioned the legality of the raid and the “subsequent interrogation and harassment of the guests present at the dinner”, and whether the officers were acting within their legal jurisdiction.

NONE CFM chairperson Bishop Ng Moon Hing ( left ) said they are “deeply shocked and appalled” with the raid, describing it as an “affront to the values of mutual respect and harmony” that should extend to every person in Malaysia, regardless of religious, cultural or ethnic background.

“It is ironic that such a celebratory gathering of volunteers, leaders, supporters and members of the community should be disrupted by the high-handed and repugnant actions of the state religious enforcement officers.”

Ng pointed out that there has been an increasing number of cases where Christians are singled out and targetted with unjustified accusations from various groups, “as well as certain mainstream media who have made inflammatory statements against the spirit of 1Malaysia”.

“We call upon the relevant authorities, including His Royal Highness the Sultan of Selangor, to conduct a thorough investigation over this unjustified raid.

"We also call upon the government and all Malaysians to work together to build a truly cohesive and harmonious society based on mutual respect, dialogue and understanding,” he said.

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